Do you see what we see? Psychology's response to technology in mental health.

Abstract

The introduction of technology into psychological practice creates wonderful opportunities but also uncertainties and skepticism. In their "Technology use in mental health practice and research: Legal and ethical risks," Lustgarten and Elhai (2018) zero in on both sides of this new coin. We are pleased to offer a few reflections on these accelerating technological developments and particularly on organized psychology's copious responses to them. We employ the term telepsychology rather than the more generic technology or telehealth as the American Psychological Association (2013) has approved the former as a distinct term within the psychological community for technology-based tools.Is it, in fact, a new coin? During a workshop several months ago, one of us was asked, "I've been using the telephone to talk with patients since 1967; am I practicing telepsychology?" The answer was an unequivocal "yes." Any communication through electronic means has been recognized by all health organizations as telecommunication.Advances in technology, new means of transmission, the ubiquity of technology in society, and the level of integration into psychological practice and research have raised the bar far beyond telephone use. Lustgarten and Elhai (2018) capture the complexities of technology's entry into psychological practice and identify several elements of traditional practice that are most significantly influenced: training, ethics, legal aspects, and technology.

Ethical Issues in Online Psychotherapy: A Narrative Review

“…ContinuedEthical arguments against online psychotherapyNegative influence of technology use 5,7, 10, 20, 47, 54-56, 60, 61, 64, 66, 67, 69, 72, 84-86, 95, 98, 108, 109, 115, 121, 128, 133, 134, 137, 140, 152, 157, 158, 166, 169, 172, 179, 181, 203, 211, 216, 217, 223, 237, 249 Social media 2, 3, 10, 18, 26, 48, 54, 57, 60, 63, 69, 71, 93, 103, 105, 113, 120, 130, 134, 155, 157, 160, 164, 172, 174, 188, 189, 205, 206, 211, 223, 226, 227, 242, 247 Financial gain 9, 23, 25, 27, 30, 44, 45, 49, 58, 59, 72, 76, 81, 85, 90, 92, 100, 102, 103, 117, 120, 126, 130, 144, 164, 169, 180, 186, 189, 208, 224, 226, 241 Loss of therapeutic control16,17,26,28,41,45,48,57,60,63,73,80,86,124,126,130,134,138,164,166,181,196,207,208,211,217,247 Adherence issues10,11,16,20,41,69,75,87,101,103,132,152,154,156,165,169,187,…”

Technology is a core competency in professional psychology.

“…Psychologists must understand legal issues related to collaborative partner agreements (e.g., Memorandum of Agreement, Business Associate Agreement), mandated reporting laws, informed consent requirements, guidelines for supervision of others, and licensure jurisdiction (Campbell & Norcross, 2018;McCord et al, 2015McCord et al, , 2020.…”

Digital privacy in mental healthcare: current issues and recommendations for technology use

“…Regardless of the software/app used, providers must interact with hardware (e.g., smartphones or laptops). For instance, phones are a widespread hardware used for communication between mental healthcare professionals and clients [51,52], which have been employed for decades [53]. However, with the advent and popularization of smartphones and other mobile devices, risk of involuntary disclosure of PHI is greater [44 ,54].…”